Campur- Day 2

Parents- Kids are loving the comments- To leave a comment click on the comments button at the bottom and add a comment and select anonymous...All kids are doing well. Today is our final day of ministry in Campur- tomorrow will be a travel day to Metapan, El Salvador. The comments below are from Tuesday and a few from this morning...pictures to follow. Its harder to update on travel days so the next posting may not be until we have arrived in Metapan or the first ministry day there.


Hey Mom, Marty, Dad, Julia, Mackenzie, & The OT,

I am pooped! We built a house today. They had already done one wall when we got there and we built almost all of the other three. We mixed cement and hauled the cinder blocks to the walls. I am very dirty I have cement and dirt in my hair. I have a wicked tan line now, from my work gloves and t-shirt. I’m a little sun burned but no big deal. While working on the house I saw Eva and she remembered me we talked for a while, but I was busy working. I am pretty sore and really tired, I’m sure I’ll sleep well tonight. We had some good beef stew for lunch and I ate it all. OT I took pictures because I know you would never believe me. I think you and my mom will be very proud of me. I also found Spencer (My Pig) today. I was so excited! He grew a lot but he is still not big enough to eat. I have huge knots in my back, good thing I brought Icy Hot. I slept well last night the dogs didn’t bother me at all. I hope all is well at home how is the construction coming?? OT I’m glad you checked your e-mail! I can’t wait to come home and see you all. Can’t wait to hear from you next!! I love you all!!

Love, Taylor


Hi Mommy and David,

It’s our second day in Campur, and our first day of service. We set up our clinic in the church, and began our day of work. The first night we stayed in Guatemala City at a nice hotel, and I met Carmina and Carmi and gave them their gifts from the Stringini’s. They were extremely nice and welcoming, and asked us to come to Carmi’s fifteenth birthday party. The next day (yesterday) we drove to Campur, which was about an 8 hour drive. We drove way up into the mountains and were above the clouds, it was really beautiful. When we got to Campur all the little kids from the village came into the compound and welcomed us, it was really sweet and they were all really cute. We ate dinner, which I liked, and then had a three hour church service. The sleeping arrangements aren’t actually that bad- Mom you really wouldn’t like it but it is alright. I wore earplugs and had a good night’s sleep. Dad will have to use some earplugs tonight, he is sleeping on the floor of an orphanage with all the guys. Today in the clinic was really tiring and really amazing. It was sometimes frustrating because we had to translate from Queche to Spanish to English and vice-versa, so it was slow. The people here are in so much need, they just don’t have basic health education. Hope everything is going well and that Stephen and Claire are being good babysitters. Say hi to them if you see them. Dad and I are both doing well and having a good time, but we miss you! Love you,
Sammi



Daddy, Danielle, Mommy, Josh, Grandpa, Nikki, and Taylor,

I miss you all terribly. Today was a busy day. The children’s team went to two different schools, each on top of a mountain!! We literally went on 45 minute hikes up slippery slopes with mud and rocks everywhere. The schools were interesting. The first school was pretty nice and most of the kids spoke Spanish. They liked getting their picture taken and loved the bubbles. The second school was a little bit different. They only spoke Queche, so we just kind of smiled and waved. The first day I flew in I discovered they don’t use pesos in Guatemala (Taylor denies telling me they do) so I am without money and you guys might not be getting souvenirs. Daddy, I read your card today. It was really cute. Danielle and Josh, Sarah keeps telling me stories about you guys when you were here. Nikki, all I can think about is stoffers macaroni and cheese and how I was to speed over to your house as soon as I get home. And last but not least, Taylor, I started writing one of your “daily” letters yesterday… but I don’t think those letters are going to be daily. I love you all and I miss you all!!

Love,
Nicole Iskierka


Hola Mom, Dad, and Jilly!

I am having a great time here in Guatemala. My group got in late Sunday evening and met the rest of the team at a nice hotel in Guatemala City. We traveled all day yesterday and arrived in Campur in the evening. I am surprised to say that I have enjoyed all the food we have been given. Today we started working in the medical clinic. I started off teaching people about hygiene and praying with them, then I worked in the pharmacy. The only difficulty was the language. They speak Queche and not Spanish and we were low on translators, but it worked out. I have been using my Spanish and have made some very cute friends. This morning I woke up and saw the biggest spider I have ever seen. After some time Sarah B finally killed it. I am so excited to see what other adventures I will have the rest of the trip. Keep praying for good health (I am feeling good right now). I love you and miss you all, especially Heidi!!

Love,
Stephanie


P.S. KELSEY ESSIG is alive and safe!! She will blog soon!

Dear Mom, Dad, Sophie, Angel, Sweeney

I miss you guys, but I am having a great time. Today we climbed two mountains; we were greeted with warm welcomes. I only fell a couple of times, and luckily on the first mountain I was able to stop the people from wanting to carry me down. The food is fine and I have been sleeping well. It is so cool to be experiencing a new culture. Adam is also doing well (just in case he does not blog.) The only problem in Campur is communication, because the speak Queche, not Spanish. It is almost dinner time and other people need to blog so Adios for now!
(from Sarah Bancroft- Adam volunteered to be the first BBall boy to give his testimony – he did a great job and played a good game)

Taylor Van Clay


Hi Mom, Dad, and Friends,
The trip out to Campur was about what I expected…a lot of sleeping. Today was our first ministry day in Campur and I have never been so happy to take a shower in my life! Our team split up into two; half staying near the church and half driving twenty minutes away. I was in the group that had the drive. When we got to our destination we found a large pile of cinder blocks waiting to be hauled up a hill. The blocks were really heavy and I think there were close to 250. It was gross and sweaty. After we hauled all the cinder blocks we began to help build the house with some of the family members who would be living in the house. It was a long day and I’m sure that I will sleep very well tonight! I’ll blog later….maybe.
Xoxo,
Christina

Hey Mom, Dad, Travis, and Mike,
I am doing great! We had a hard day of work and got some sun but it was still fun! We are now in Campur. I have been able to take 2 showers and its so amazing! Tomorrow is going to be fun! I am wiped out! Well I am really missing all of you but I will be home soon! Love you all! TTYL
Ashley Weis

Hello my family!
I am doing fabulous! Today I carried about 5 million blocks up a hill… It was great… I haven’t gotten too sick yet which is a total surprise! There is a long line of people waiting for the computer so I am going to keep it short! I love you and miss you and I will try to blog again soon!
Kelsey Essig
P.S. thanks mom for all of the hidden notes

Hola from deep in the jungle of Campur!
So I have no idea who will read this (my parents are in Spain) But yeah im in medical team and today we had our first clinic. We saw a total of 113 people. It was intense at times and really slow at other times. There was some sweet stuff we saw today. Everything from diagnosing pregnancies to surgeries for removing imbedded glass that skin had healed over. It was an exhausting but rewarding day. Im sure many more stories will follow these, but for now I better let other people write.
Erica

Hola momasita and papa crum!
So I want to make sure I write a blog to let ya know that I’m still alive. These past couple of days in Guatemala definitely giving me a reality check. We are helping a family build their one room home, where the floor is just dirt, and the windows and doors are just open. They are very grateful though, and love offering us bananas and pina (or pineapple). Most of the people speak little Spanish and mostly Queche? ( I think that’s how you spell it) but my 3 years in Spanish is definitely showing here, or lack there of. You would be very proud of me, how rustic I am living. I was fortune enough to take a shower off all the cement and dirt off me from the little drizzle that comes out of the shower head. My meals so far have consisted of a lot of corn tortillas which is only good with a lot and lot of peanut butter! The people here are very friendly and call us all “gringos” when we walk by. Anyways I’ll talk to you when I get home. Love you all. Say hi to grandma for me, and tell her I miss her!
Love,
Nicole Crum

Hello Family!!
So far the trip has been great. A lot of bumpy driving and eating and sleeping. Today was our first ministry day and we hiked up 2 huge muddy mountains to get to the local school. The view was absolutely amazing.. MN seems very boring now. The schools were very small but full of very happy children. They were a ton of fun. They loved bubbles and cameras. We gave one of the schools some beanie babies… tell Tami J The food has been pretty good…I smell really bad…The weather is nice and not too hot. Well I love you!!! We should totally move here….jk. bLOG ME!! Love Lucie

Hey Mom Dad Ryan and Luke,
This trip has been amazing so far. We are in Campur right now and today we went to 2 different schools and had to walk up 2 big mountains to get there. The kids are adorable and loved bubbles and cameras. Hope everything is going good at home!
Love Sarah Tapani

Hey Dad, blanca, and Daniel boy :]
So I didn’t think id write on this blog so soon because its only been 3 days. But let me say oh boy do I miss home! Its so different here and I feel extremely out of place. We are currently in the village of campur and we’re here for 2 more days and we then travel to metapan. But staying here for even 3 days is so different and makes you realize how good we have it. I cant wait till home. The food here is alright….alot like when grandpa cooks so its nothing new to me. I definitely didn’t pack enough clothes because im already running out! But im having fun I guess and cant wait for the rest and relaxation days at the end! Haha showers feel great…but not nearly as good as home. I cant take a half hour! Oh well…I like the trip so far and hopefully I hear from you soon because you can write back! Please do. Haha theres only 12 more days! See you soon1
Love you all!!
Sarah Bivans

Mom, Dad, & Pookie-
Hey! hope all is well. Well this trip has been different already… We traveled to Guatemala city and stayed there in a hotel the first night which was good, then we came to campur yesterday. Its definitely different from home. We are all stayed in one room houses? And its starting to get cramped. Our first ministry day was today and we hauled cinder blocks up a hill and helped cement a new house . it was tiring but the view was amazing. Well other people have to go on . just wanted to let you know im fine. Ill blog again when more goes on! Love you.
Xoxoxo Hannah James.

Hey Everyone!
Yesterday was just a travel day; 6 hours on the chicken bus. Yay! It was actually really nice to get a chance to journal, reflect, chat with friends, and most importantly, take in the beautiful scenery! The whole time we were on roads winding up the mountains… absolutely breathtaking views. I have plenty of pictures J. Today was our first ministry day. We set up the clinic and immediately people started lining up. We didn’t see anything too serious; mostly diarrhea, worms, heartburn, stomach ache, back pains etc. There were a couple “surgeries” today. One guy had a piece of glass stuck in his back and the skin had grown over it, so the doctor had to cut it open to remove it. Unfortunately I wasn’t there, but there are pictures. Another guy had an abscess on his face that the doctor drained. But that was pretty much the extent of it. It was pretty difficult because every speaks Kechi, so we needed double translations. Unfortunately, there weren’t a lot of translators, so we often had to make due with one from Kechi to Spanish. It was hard, but lots of fun! Tomorrow is another ministry day, and then the next day is a travel day to Metapan. I am still completely healthy and having a blast. I love you lots!
Kelly Anderson
PS- everyone here spells my name “Cali” Cute, huh?

Mom & Dad, SLAC, Nate, Claire friends and parents-
I’m having a blast. This group is awesome.
I went with the bball team today and had a blast. Adam and CJ gave their faithstories and did a great job. The bball team played in the most gorgeous mountain with a 1500 year old church. I hope to have those pictures posted tomorrow. The mimos did great too and were able to perform in a school and had a very positive response. Mom & Dad- sorry to hear about the water damage- I like your idea on the OB sign. SLAC- I love you- thanks for the prayers and I’m having a good good time. Fuji ichiban. Claire- can’t wait to see you when you are bback in MN…possibly at the airport. Nate glad we are still undefeated…Texas was not the same without you. I thought about running through the airport for fun…but decided that was a one time thing. I went for a run this am with a few kids and the Dr…and it didn’t take long for me to have to stop because theres a bit of an altitutude difference. I hope you are using my snap card and found the F day gift I left.
Parents- Your kids are doing great. They are so excited and eager to serve.


Hola everyone—
Life is crazy as usual down here in Guatemala. It’s so weird to be back here after a years absence. It’s still just as gorgeous as I remember, and the drive to Campur (ok, the ½ hour of the drive that I was not out cold) was spectacular. There was a fog/clouds that covered most of the mountains as we drove through them. Today our first medical clinic was a success I would say. I still can’t decide if I miss doing the mime, but the medical stuff is pretty exciting and the scrubs are not hot like the mime pants, plus no weird tan lines this year Cate. Anyways, I miss everyone back home but I get more sleep down here you’ll all be glad to know, and I’m a lot less stressed out. I’m excited for the medical clinic tomorrow since we’re getting an idea of the process. The translating is slow, but at least I don’t need an English to Spanish, I communicate directly with the 11 year old Kechi/Spanish kids. Well, I don’t actually have anything to say so I’ll leave this post, but I hope everything is well in the US. Kelly I don’t know if you’ll read this (and I’m afraid I won’t remember on the right day) so happy birthday!!!! I love you, and it’s weird not celebrating with you for the first year in forever. love you all! ~Elizabeth

Friends and Family~
This trip so far is so much fun! It’s really different from back home though. We got to Campur yesterday and it is definitely a change from Edina. It’s a small village in the rainforest and there is no running water. The people here are very friendly. They greeted us with a warm welcome and they make us lots of food. The kids here are also really cute. They asked to play “Tag” with us as soon as we got off the buses. We haven’t had our first medical clinic yet, but we start today. I’m really excited but nervous at the same time to see how all our hard work plays out. So far no one has gotten sick which is really good. We had an eight hour drive yesterday but everyone felt great! Thank you so much for all your prayers and support. It means so much to all of us!
~Kelli

Heyy Everyone,
Today is our first day of service here in Campur, as you may have gathered from some of the other comments. I’m a little bit apprehensive about doing the clinic today, primarily because we really have no idea what kind of chaos we are going to encounter, nor does my Spanish inspire much confidence (hahahah hopefully I’ll pick it up pretty quickly… it shares the same roots as French). The little kids here remind me of Elle, I had a blast playing with them yesterday. Yesterday was a pretty chill day, and I took advantage of the opportunity to do some self-reflection. Andi, if you happen to be reading this, dit “Bonjour” a M. Halloran when you see him in a few days. Ciao for now!!
XOXOX Adrienne

Dad, Mom, and Scooter,
Hello! Hello! So sorry I didn’t blog sooner, but I was busy trying to get situated. The first day we just flew in and stayed in a hotel in Guatemala City. We couldn’t go outside the hotel though so we just hung out inside and ate dinner and went to bed. Then the next day we took a seven hour bus ride to Campur. Today we did are first day of service work. We carried a whole bunch of cement bricks up a hill and cemented them in it was good. Well know we are going to do some worshiping, so I will talk to you guys later. I love you lots.
Love, Brittany

Bonnie- Tessie says hi and she is doing great.

Mom, Dad, Kyle, and Friends,
This trip is going really well so far! It has been really interesting to see all the Guatemalans and attempt to talk with them and understand them. We stayed at a hotel in Guatemala City which was pretty nice and now we are staying in an unfinished orphanage in Campur. The people of Campur are very friendly, especially the kids, who love to play with us and talk to us. Yesterday was our first day of the medical clinic, which also went very well. We saw 113 patients and I worked at intake first and then at the pharmacy. I think I have used more Spanish in these few days than I have ever used in my life! CJ and I ran for an hour this morning through the mountains with two of our translators, Kike and Josh (we left them behind, they were a little out of shape). The view was beautiful and it felt great. I am really excited for the clinic today! God has done some amazing things in the clinic, including 2 surgeries. I miss everyone and am exited to tell stories!
Love, Ryan Anderson

Hola mi familia,
Estoy en Campur, Guatemala. Ayer hicimos una clinica medica en la iglesia. Vimos a 112 pacientes y tuvimos dos cirugias. Vi una de las cirugias cuando quitamos un tumor de la cara de un hombre. Tambien, jugue con los chiquitos de la ciudad. Claire, conoci a tu amigo Jorge. El es muy lindo. Espero que ustedes esten bien. Los amo, Courtney Christenson